We Have The First Video Of Domino's Self-Driving Pizza Delivery Robot

They said there'd be robots. Instead, we got pizza delivery robots. Wait, that's even better! Last night, Domino's lifted the curtains on DRU; the world's first commercial autonomous delivery vehicle. Boasting a a LIDAR sensory system developed in Australia, the robot is capable of delvering pizzas to your street completely unassisted. Here's what pizza delivery will look like in the not-to-distant future.

DRU (short for "Domino's Robotic Unit") is an autonomous delivery vehicle built in collaboration with Marathon Robotics; an Australian technology startup that specialises in robotic targets for live-fire army training. It's essentially a $30k military-grade robot refitted for pizza delivery -- and it really works. While the rollout isn't expected to happen for a couple of years, Domino's has been testing the first prototype in the wild with success.

The technology behind DRU comes from military robots used by the army for live-fire target training. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 20 kilometres an hour, it uses a LIDAR sensory system to detect obstacles in its path and change its route accordingly. It measures objects and distance by illuminating an object with a laser light and can even speak to customers.

Our pals at Lifehacker were luckily enough to catch a glimpse of the prototype during its global unveiling -- you can see how it dispenses pizzas in the above video. If you have any questions about the robot, head over to Lifehacker's in-depth rundown!

Trending Stories Right Now

It's becoming increasingly clear that Facebook has never faced a scandal like the one it's currently fighting through. Revelations over the weekend about its reckless sharing of user data sent its stock price plunging on Monday, and fresh calls for regulations on the social media network are looking more real than ever.

Incoming South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has today revealed that the Liberal government will not continue with Jay Weatherill's plan to install batteries in thousands of low-income households. The new government's plan will instead focus on means-tested subsidies for battery systems, and on the grid scale a focus on interconnectivity with NSW.